The Daily Grind
by MGMalfoy0268
Summary: AU, New York City, Present Day, Slash Pairing "Haven't you heard the phrase, 'the customer is always right?" "Haven't you heard the phrase, 'drink your coffee and mind your own business,'" Nico muttered. Castor smirked, "Well then can I get a tall cup of caramel macchiato with your number on the side?". T rating will probably become M in later chapters. NicoxCastor
1. Prologue

ALCOHOL, CIGARETTES, and TOBACCO flashed on a flickering neon billboard. The light reflected across the glass of the small coffee shop, where Nico picked up the last of the remaining coffee mugs. He rubbed his tired eyes as he prepared to close up shop for the night. 2 hours of rest, then off to his 8 o'clock class. He unplugged the coffee maker and pulled off his apron before turning out the lights and locking the door.

He silently cursed as the floor creaked when he walked through his small living room. "Could you be _any_ louder?" Bianca mumbled from her place on the couch. She had stayed up to make sure Nico had made it home alright.

"Shut the hell up, and go back to sleep." Nico said as he placed a blanket across her back.

"Yeah, yeah, you too." With a final yawn, she repositioned herself and fell asleep. Shaking his head, Nico walked into his room and collapsed onto his bed.

* * *

"Bro, how come you have such a nice ass," slurred Jake.

"Well, I'm sexy as fuck with the body of a greek god," Castor responded with a wink. The group rolled their eyes at his comment as Castor proceeded to check his reflection in a store window. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair, giving it the "i just woke up fabulous" look. His sea green eyes took in his appearance, meticulously checking over every inch of himself. He rubbed his hand across the light spatter of freckles that were visible across his cheeks out of habit.

"Who wants more booze?" called out Pollux as he tripped towards the front of the group. There was a unanimous cheer as they all stumbled down the street to the nearest bar.

As they were walking past 'The Daily Grind' a figure stepped out of the doorway, with headphones jammed in his ears. He seemed to blend the shadows making him hard to see.

As Castor teetered past, his shoulder collided directly into someone or something else. "Oi! Watch where you're going!" Castor hollered.

The figure turned around and pulled an earbud from his ear. "Sorry," Nico mumbled, before turning around and continuing on his way.

As the dark haired boy stalked down the opposite end of the street, Castor noticed a silver band spinning on the ground. He bent over and picked up the shiny object. "Hey! Wait! You forgot your ring!" he shouted to a now empty road.

Where did the raven haired boy with olive skin and dark glistening eyes disappear to? The image of his leather jacket and skinny jeans was engraved into Castor's brain.

Jake tapped Castor on the shoulder with a challenging smirk laced upon his face. "So "Castor, old boy, didn't you say to me just the other day that you were looking for a good lay?"

"No, but I'll amuse you, so sure."

"Well, I was just thinking, you like a challenge, and if you were to accept, you already have a head start."

"What are you on about."

"What if I were to propose a bet."

"I'm listening."

"You get that boy in bed within one week, and you will receive a reward so sweet, old Ben and Jerry will be put to shame."

"The ice cream brand?"

"Not the point, what do say? Are you in?"

"What's the reward?"

"Well that would just ruin the surprise, wouldn't it? We can't have that."

"You're fucking insane, but I do love a good challenge. I accept."

"Sweet, have fun getting that cherry _if you know what I mean_. " Castor sighed at the ridiculousness of his friend. The chances of someone as tasty as him being a virgin were slim to none.

"Castor, I wish you the best of luck in all of your sexual endeavors. But for now, come on boys, the next bar awaits!" cheered Jake. The friends then trooped through the rest of the city to discover their next adventure.

* * *

**This story was co-written with illustrious celadongirl123. All rights go to Rick Riordan although if I could own these characters I wouldn't have to worry about tuition. SPOILERS Nico being gay is canon so this story isn't too far fetched. Castor is just a under known character who we believe to be completely, beautifully, and 100% gay. Anyways have fun reading this my dearies.**

**Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

** MGMalfoy0268 & Celadongirl123**


	2. Chapter 1: Stars in New York City

The following night, Nico arrived at The Daily Grind for his shift. It's not like he wanted to be there, he had to be. It was the only job that paid enough to help fund his BA degree at Columbia for Forensic Anthropology _and_ the rent. The music here was mediocre at best and always gave him a splitting headache. In addition to the music, the people he had to deal with always left him in a shitty mood.

He pulled on his apron and told Malcolm, his co-worker, he could finally leave. "Thanks man. Heads up for table 6, there's a hot blonde that has your name on it"

"Oh fuck off, you know I'm too busy for stuff like that."

"I just think that everyone deserves a good fuck now and then, no matter how busy they might be. It relaxes the soul."

"Just leave already, I have work to do."

"Oh, so that's what the hunk's name is," said Malcolm with a smirk. Nico just sighed and brushed past him.

Ever since junior high, he'd been so busy helping his family, he hadn't time to think about sports, let alone his sexuality. It's not that he was reluctant to partake in sexual actions, he just didn't consider it. His mind had been focused on school, piano, and making sure he and Bianca had a place to stay and food to eat.

"Excuse me, but I believe I ordered pancakes, and I've been waiting for near 40 minutes now." called a customer.

Without looking up, Nico responded, "you're in the wrong shop if you want pancakes. Try two doors down."

"Well what kind of a coffee shop doesn't sell breakfast food!"

"This kind."

The annoyed customer walked out the door with a huff. Castor chuckled at the exchange, and used this distraction as an opportunity to make his move. He walked up to the counter, "haven't you heard the phrase, 'the customer is always right?'"

"Haven't you heard the phrase, 'drink your coffee and mind your own business?'"

"Well the sass is strong with this one. Can I get a tall cup of caramel macchiato with extra whip cream and your number on the side?" Castor winked.

"We are fresh out of numbers, how do you feel about our daily special, oatmeal raisin cookies?" Nico monotonously replied.

"No thanks, but maybe tomorrow you'll have a fresh supply." Just then the song "_I'm Sexy and I Know It"_ started to play. "Sorry, I have to take this," Castor said as he dug his phone out of his pocket and placed a random bill on the counter, "see you around, sassy pants." Castor grabbed the hot cup of coffee off the counter and then continued to walk out of the shop.

Nico's jaw dropped as he saw the bill sitting on the counter, Ulysses S. Grant stared back up at him. The coffee was three dollars max, and cheap on top of that. Anyone who could afford to drop a fifty on a shitty coffee was definitely not a normal customer. Now that he thought about it, the people that tended to attend this shop were not ones that could freely drop money. It was weird to see someone from the _outside_ come in here voluntarily.

Nico put his elbows on the counter and stared at the mediocre band playing on stage. Most found The Daily Grind to be cramped, stuffy, and loud. There was definitely something suspicious about the tall blonde being here. Sure, he was easy on the eyes, more than easy something closer to eye candy, but that didn't shake the weird feeling that Nico got when he was looking at him. Maybe he was over reacting. It wasn't _that odd_ to see someone that attractive and rich in a coffee shop.

Wait.

Fuck. Since when had he started to think people were eye candy.

* * *

Well that had been more challenging than what he had expected. Usually his good looks and smooth talk were able to make some sort of a dent on a person. But this boy just responded like it was something he dealt with on a daily basis. The raven haired boy was so natural and witty that it bothered Castor. No one was able to resist him, _no one_. Jake was right, this would be the challenge he was looking for. It would make him take his mind off of his father and the constant nagging about being a better student.

Most of the time he did things just to spite his family, like the one time he purposely egged the dean of admissions house and was willingly caught, or the fact that he was majoring in Photography without his father's knowledge. The main reason was because someone else was running his life, and he was sick and tired of it. He couldn't stand the fact that his father was attempting to force him to major in Business and Economics. It was preparing him to have the _most _boring job on the planet, no the solar system. How one sat at desk all day and crunched numbers boggled Castor's mind.

He changed the lens on his Olympus OM-D E-M1. He climbed the ladder of the abandoned warehouse to get the perfect shot of the New York City skyline. The wind blew through his hair, as he rested his knee on the ledge.

No matter how much his dad pressed him, how many new 'moms' he had to deal with, or which brother was getting arrested this time, he could always come up here and just be free. It was his sanctuary.

Suddenly "_Family Reunion_" by Blink 182 pierced through the still air. Castor glanced down to see his phone vibrating on his belt, with "DAD" written across the screen. With a sigh, he answered his phone, "Castor Speaking."

"Where are you, you were supposed to meet Kaitlyn and I for lunch at Eleven Madison Park 15 minutes ago!"

"I thought her name was Alaina?"

"No, Alaina is the nanny, or something. Kaitlyn will soon be your new mother."

Castor scoffed into the phone, "This is my second 'new mother' this year, how long will this one last?"

"Well maybe if you put some sort of effort into getting to know them, you wouldn't have this issue."

"So now this is _my_ fault?" Castor asked scathingly.

"Get down here. Now."

* * *

"Stop throwing your fries at me," Bianca chuckled.

"Only if you promise to stop drinking my coke"

"It's _my _coke. Drink your water and be happy"

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that."

"Shut up and eat your burger before it gets cold." Shaking his head, Nico bit into his double cheeseburger.

"Hey hons, can I get you anything else?"

"No thanks, Cheryl, we're all set." Bianca smiled, and took another bite of her burger before getting up and putting her apron on again. "My shifts about to start, squirt, so finish up."

"When are you going to realize I'm taller than you now, if anything, I should call _you _squirt."

"Hey I was taller than you for 16 years, no need to change things now." Bianca said, before going through the doors behind the counter.

Nico shook his head, and started to pack up his stuff, before heading out to his next class. He walked out the door of the diner, and put his earbuds in. As he raised his hand to his face, he noticed that the silver ring he always wore was gone. "What the hell?" he wondered aloud.

Nico thought back through the last few days, wondering where he could have lost it. He had it 3 nights ago when he cleaned it, so it must have gone missing sometime between then and now. Before he could go through all the places he'd been to in his mind, something large and incredibly hard knocked into him, sending him to the ground. He looked up to see a guy, around his age, with shaggy blonde hair and bright sea green eyes.

"Woah, sorry man. I didn't see- wait, it's you." The blonde said, realization flooding his face.

"Wait, you're the pretentious hunk- I mean guy, from the coffee shop." Nico blushed as the words slipped out of his mouth.

"Pretentious, huh, haven't heard that one before, but at least you remembered me." The man smiled as he held out his hand towards Nico, "I'm Castor, Castor Bacchus."

"Well Castor, you have a weird last name." Nico responded.

"Well, your name can't be much better." Castor rebuttled.

"As a matter of fact, it's better than 'Castor _Bacchus_"

"Then what is it?" Castor challenged.

"Nico di Angelo"

"You're kidding, right. You think '_Nico di Angelo' _is any better than Castor Bacchus? You must be out of your god damned mind." Castor said.

"At least I'm not named after a fucking constellation."

"At least I'm not a complete klutz. This is the second time this week, can you not take your eyes off the sidewalk?"

"I was listening to music. It's not my fault you can't watch out for other people."

"Whatever boy wonder. Just remember that every time the stars are out, my name is engraved in them."

"Well, if I see your name, I'll give you a call."

"Really? Well, you'll need my number then."

"I guess I do. But let's be honest, the chances of seeing the stars in New York are slim to none."

"Well we won't know until it happens. Give me your hand."

"Why?"

Castor rolled his eyes as dug a pen out of his bag. "Hmmm, it's to draw a dick on your palm," he replied sarcastically,"I'm trying to give you my number, you dipshit."

Castor grabbed Nico's hand, and pulled it towards him. He carefully wrote out the numbers, and let go.

"How will I know who's number this is? You didn't sign it." Nico mumbled.

"Do you really have that many people writing their numbers on your limbs?" Castor replied.

"Not particularly, but you never know, now do you?" Nico questioned.

"You know, you're right. Perhaps I should do a full body check, just to know for sure. Then I really will know, for 100% certainty, where _exactly _you have people writing on you." Nico's face flushed a bright red at his comment.

" Well I.. I.. I don't understand the point of this conversation," Nico stuttered in a poor attempt to regain his composure.

" _Sure _you don't. Just remember that the next time you see the stars, you call that number. "

Castor took in Nico's flushed face and was admittedly surprised. Some one with looks like that, should have some experience. But judging by his stutters, it would seem that he hadn't even been hit on outside of the coffee shop before, let alone been in a bed. There was a moment of hesitation when Castor felt the need to smear the numbers on Nico's hand so he would not be able to read them. A part of him felt guilty for wanting to ruin something so pretty and innocent.

Nico took this time to readjust his shirt and jacket. As he turned to walk away Castor

roughly grabbed his shoulder. "Don't do stupid things while I'm gone, okay?"

"What the fuck? Why such the mood chang-"

"Remember no one can force you to do anything,"Castor said. Maybe it was his way of subconsciously telling Nico to run while he still could. As attractive as he found the raven haired boy, he didn't want to take what innocence he had left.

"Back off blondey. I can take care of myself just fine, it's not like I haven't been doing it for years or anything," Nico responded, irritated at his concern for him. The suddenness of what the blonde was saying threw him off. What was the point of telling him to watch out for himself? The emotions he saw swirling in the other boy's green eyes made him glint in his irises moments ago was playful but now there was concern and pain. Having a stranger care about his existence made Nico sick to the core. No one had the right to care about him, not even Bianca.

"I just want you to-"

"Listen, I don't care what you have to say. Let. Go. Of. Me," Nico said through clenched teeth. He jerked his shoulder back forcing Castor's grip to break. He shoved past the tall blonde and continued to walk to class.

He was disgusted that another human being tried to get through his carefully built wall. How the conversation turned playful to cold in a matter of seconds was a mystery to him. Something about the tall blonde got under Nico's skin, and not in a good way. It made him think back to the days when he lived in _that _house. Memories like that had been suppressed for years, why they were coming out now scared him. Anyone that could do that to him was definitely a person he needed to shut out.

* * *

"Where have you been Castor?"

"I was out, _Paul_. No need to be upset"

"Refer to me as Father, or not at all," Paul said. "I'm not the one upset. It's Kaitlyn. You forgot about your mother-son bonding date. You can't keep messing things up between you two. Sooner or later you will have to come to fact that she will be your new mother. Until that happens I will cut off your credit card."

"No, you won't. You have to have the good-looking son, rebellious enough to catch the media's attention, but gentlemen enough to be every little girl's dream... or boy's."

"Boys? Don't be ridiculous. Now, make sure to call your mother-"

"Kaitlyn."

"_Your mother_ by the end of the day and apologize for your inconsiderate actions."

"Fine, whatever._"_

"You need to let go of of your birth mother, it's been, what? Fifteen years? Things change, learn to accept it."

Castor's jaw tightened. "Eight," he mumbled.

"Don't mumble, you know that's bad for your image, speak up."

"Eight."

"I can't understand what you're saying"

"I said it's only been eight years!" Castor yelled, "Did she really not mean that much to you?"

"She was my wife. Of course I cared."

"Well it sure doesn't seem like it. You moved on pretty fast. Kaitlyn is what, the 6th wife since mom," Castor spat.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Maybe it's because you can't settle down or the fact that you ignore your actual family."

"I don't ignore you boys."

"_Sure _you don't."

"Don't you dare use that tone of voice with me. I care and provide for all of you"

"You provide, but can you even tell me when Pollux's birthday is?"

"It's... it's next month on the third"

"It was last tuesday."

"No. I can say for certain that it's next month"

Castor scoffed, "You don't even know when your son's birthday is. "

"I don't have time for this. Please, call your mother, and be home by 11."

"I'll do what I please, considering I'm a legal adult."

"If you are such an adult then pay for your own college education."

"Ahh, but you don't want to see your most prized child drop out of school, do you? The media would eat that up in a heart beat. I can see it now, _BILLIONAIRE'S SON DROPS OUT: was it the drugs or the money?_ "

Paul Bacchus fixed a withering stare towards Castor. Suddenly, "_I'm sexy and I know It" _started to play from Castor's pocket. "Excuse me, I have take this," Castor said in a serious tone, and he confidently strutted out of the room.

* * *

Nico stepped into the alleyway behind The Daily Grind. He looked up, and no. No, it couldn't be.

For the first time in months, stars could be seen in the New York City sky.

* * *

**Hello Everybody!**

**Hope you like the update. Let us know your thoughts and any ideas you might have regarding the story. We appreciate you taking your time to read this. Have a beautiful day!**

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**MGMalfoy0268 and Celadongirl123**


	3. Chapter 2: Cellphones and Bickering

Castor sighed as he dropped back onto his bed. He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm the mess that was atop his head. Maybe it was because he was stressed out from dealing with his father or the fact that he had to bail his brother out of prison again. It's not like Pollux was a bad kid, he just made stupid mistakes. _Really stupid mistakes_. Castor was stupefied, how are you caught in the same place, committing the same crime only a week later?

After traveling all over town, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to be undisturbed. In order to accomplish this goal Castor had locked his door and was in the process of turning off his cell phone. As soon as the white apple appeared on the screen, he tossed it onto his dresser. He turned his head to look out the window and to his surprise saw twinkling lights in the sky. He rubbed his eyes to double check and make sure that he wasn't seeing things. There were stars in the night sky. After months of clouds, there were actual stars.

Castor scrambled to get his phone and turn it back on. While he waited for it to stop glowing white, he rocked back and forth with anticipation. Even though he knew that there wouldn't be anything there, he couldn't help but hope that there was a missed call. Finally he was able to unlock his phone. There was a notification flashing on the screen. His eyes lit up as he tapped the green phone icon, only to realize that it was his dad's last voicemail.

Feeling a tremendous cloud of disappointment fall upon him, he laid back on the bed. Who would blame him, no one would call a stranger's number after they had just met. If anything he had scared him off. Part of Castor was relieved with the fact that he wouldn't have contact with the guy. He was just so...so pure and...just special, it gave Castor a feeling of guilt at the thought of corrupting that. Although there was something about, what was his name? Nathan, Noris, Nick, Nico...Nico! That's right, Nico. Something about Nico made Castor tick.

It was as if they had some sort of connection even though they had only just met a few days prior.

He yawned and stretched his arms so that they rested behind his head. Tomorrow he would head out to the abandoned warehouse to clear his head. There was too much going on and he needed a release.

* * *

Nico's hand shook as they typed out the number on his phones keypad. What was making him call the pretentious boy was a mystery to him. It felt as if he was obligated to call him. Maybe if he got lucky, blondey wouldn't pick up. It was three in the morning, the chances that he was up were slim.

The longer Nico stood outside the clearer the sky became. There were so many stars out, you could even make out some constellations. It looked as if someone had poked holes in a blanket so that you could see the light on the other side. It was incredible.

As Cassiopeia and Orion watched over him, he looked at the screen, _516-224-3865_. The artificial light seemed to pale in comparison to the shining stars above.

The green 'send' button seemed to taunt him with false promises.

_Flashback_

_ "Bianca! Guess what?! The new mythomagic deck is out, and guess who has an increased attack power?"_

_ Bianca looked up from where her head was rested on her arms on the table, "Um...uh, Who?"_

_ "HADES! Only the most bestest and greatest god of all time!" Nico rejoiced, prancing about the kitchen, far too excited to care for anything accept his thrilling game. He didn't notice her puffy red eyes, or the way her legs seemed to shake as she stood up from the chair._

_ "Hey Nico, I need to talk to you for a sec." Bianca tried to grab Nico's arm to lead him to the kitchen table, but he only ran faster._

_ "Haha, You can't catch me!"_

_ "STOP NICO! Stop it! Just...just don't. Just...just…" Bianca broke down into tears, sinking onto the floor, resting her head between her knees. Her heart breaking sobs echoed throughout the cramped apartment, her tears staining her old t-shirt._

_ "Bianca? It's not that big of a deal, I know you like Artemis, and her attack power is still really good. She has an incredible defense line!" Nico tried to defend her favorite goddess in the game, hopefully to make her feel better._

_ "No, no Nico. It's not that." Nico looked up to see Bianca's puffy eyes more sad and serious than he had ever seen. "It's, uh, Dad. He's not..He...he's not coming back."_

_ "What? Don't be ridiculous! No, he said he'd call. He promised. Last week, he told me that he would call. Don't be silly, Bianca. He'll call." Nico tried to defend his father, knowing that he wouldn't do something like that._

_ "**No**, Nico. You don't get it. **He's gone**. For good. As in, never coming back." Bianca seemed as though she was trying more to convince herself rather than Nico._

_ "No, Bianca, because Dad wouldn't leave without his safe in the bedroom, and it was still there before school this morning. So of course he's coming back."_

_ Bianca took a deep breath. "Nico, It's gone."_

_ "What? No, No it's not...it can't be gone." Nico ran out of the kitchen to his parent's bedroom. He went into the closet where the safe always was, except this time, this time it was gone. "No, no, no, no. He probably just moved it." He mumbled. Nico sprinted over to the bed, checking underneath it to see if it was there. He searched every crevice of the cramped apartment, while Bianca sat with salty tears running down her cheeks in the kitchen._

_ After Nico had searched the apartment, he slowly crept back into the kitchen."Bianca?"_

_ "Yeah, squirt?" Bianca said sadly and quietly._

_ "Where's mom?" Nico asked, dreading the answer._

_ "Oh Nico, uhm," Bianca struggled with her words. "Well, mom went...to the store...yeah, she went to the store to get something for dinner."_

_ Nico saw straight through Bianca's lie, knowing full well that his mother was at the bar. Apparently this emotional blow was enough to put an end to her being 7 months sober._

_ "Right. Right." Nico mumbled. He sat down next to Bianca and put an arm around her shoulders. "Right."_

_End of Flashback_

Nico felt a warm tear roll down his cheek while relieving the painful memories. He thought of his Dad, 'forgetting' to call and never making contact with them again, and anger welled up inside him.

He wiped the tear off his cheek. He would not be the asshole who breaks a promise. Not in this lifetime, and certainly not in the next. Without a moment more of hesitation, Nico hit call.

* * *

A faint buzzing sound could be heard from the left. Castor moved his hand out from underneath the blanket in an attempt to silence the annoying noise. As he felt around the bed his hand came to land on his phone. After turning off his alarm he sighed and sat up.

As much as he wanted to stay in bed, this was his only opportunity to leave the house before anyone else was up. Out of habit he checked the weather.

There was this one time when he didn't and had to sit out in the warehouse for hours before deeming it safe to go back outside. He wasn't going to make that mistake again. Looking at the screen Castor sighed, of course he had chosen the only day that week when there were severe thunderstorm warnings.

As he closed the web browser he noticed there was a little notification on the phone icon. His heart sped up as he debated what to do. He wanted to desperately open it to see who it was from but, on the other hand he didn't want to feel disappointed so early in the morning. There was only so much a person could take each day.

With a sigh, Castor put his phone in his pocket. He would check it later. He rolled out of bed and put on a pair of jeans and a blue sweater. After tugging on his boots, he quietly slipped out the door of what could only be described as his father's mansion. Today was another day dedicated to his camera.

* * *

Today's classes were boring. Sure, there were some that Nico enjoyed but most of them put him right to sleep. All the material they covered was stuff he had already learned. He did well on almost all of his tests. There were a few here and there that weren't so great, but that was because he had overworked himself causing him to sleep instead of study. Nico had learned that if he took good notes and reviewed them while he was working, he could use his time more efficiently.

It had taken a lot of patience and practice to get used to having people interrupt you, but after a while you got used to it. At this point he was desperate, he would do anything to make sure he and Bianca thrived. Hell, he even sold his piano to cover rent for a few months, and that was his most prized possession.

Even though he was the younger sibling, he felt as if it was his responsibility to make sure that Bianca had what she needed. He had hidden the last few bills from her trying to cover the payment himself. He was able to do it, but just barely. It took a large portion from his savings account. He couldn't stand to see her face when she calculated how much money they needed for the week. It stressed her out and that was the last thing Nico wanted. That was one of the reasons he tended to stop by her work during lunch time. It wasn't that he was eager to see his sister serve other people or that it was convenient, it was a way to save money. Most of the time he was able to get a free burger and that allowed more money for dinner and breakfast.

Speaking of food... he hadn't seen the blonde all night in the shop. Usually he'd stop by for his early morning cup of joe by now. Well if it was even considered early morning, he wasn't sure when the night turned into the day exactly. After making the phone call yesterday Nico's nerves were shot. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous but he was. It was a brash move to call him, but deep down he knew it was the right thing. There was something that drew Nico towards him. The more he thought about it the more confident he was that calling him had been the right choice.

Although, he was mad at the fact that he hadn't responded yet. Every time before, Nico had seen Castor with his phone close by. So the fact that he hadn't responded yet was annoying him. Maybe he did that with all the people he thought were attractive, give them his number and then never respond.

Why did he even care so much about one stupid guy. It's not like it mattered in the big picture. As far as Nico could tell, it was going to be him and Bianca for a long time. He was pretty sure that his sister had no interest in other people. But then again he was hardly home, between school and work he had limited time. So anyone she invited over, if she did, was most likely a stranger to Nico.

A wave of protectiveness hit him. He knew nothing about her social life or school, he needed to make sure she was safe.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Nico looked down at the counter. Enough with family stuff, he needed to finish his work so that he could study for the test tomorrow.

Nico continued sorting through receipts as he heard the bell on the door ding. Quiet footstep could be heard approaching the counter. After a few moments of silence Nico sighed and looked up, "What can I help you with?"

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped as he saw who was standing in front of him, looking frustratingly amused. After a moment of silence, he quickly attempted to compose his face back into a neutral expression. The only indicator that the previous exchange had occurred was Castor's smirk and Nico's cherry red face.

"Can I get a mocha grande with extra whipped cream?" Castor said, his smug smile still in place.

Nico hesitated before responding monotonously, "I see you have a sweet tooth."

"Um, I guess," Castor said, clearly confused. "Could I get both you and the coffee to go?" he said, trying to regain some traction with the conversation.

"Yes."

"Wait really?" Castor asked genuinely surprised

"No, the only thing you are leaving the shop with is the coffee." Nico mockingly smirked, feeling triumphant.

Castor looked at the smirk that usually graced his own face, "Damn, you got my hopes up there."

Nico raised an eyebrow, "Coming from the boy who doesn't check his phone."

"What does my phone have to do with anything," Castor responded confused, again. He felt as if he was missing a major piece of information.

"Hmm, _I don't know_. When you figure it out let me know." Nico gave him a hard glare before turning around to prepare Castor's order.

Castor was left standing staring dumbly at Nico's back. _What the hell?_ He slowly turned around and walked to a table near the back by a window. He slid into the seat wondering what the hell Nico was talking about.

Family reunion started to play from his pocket. Castor hesitantly stared at his phone, did he really want to talk to his father right now? He knew that if he don't pick up there would be some sort of consequence. Letting out a deep breath, he held the phone up to his ear.

As Nico approached the table where Castor was seated, he noticed how tense the blonde was. After closer inspection, he noted that he was on the phone. A wave of bitterness washed over Nico, so he did have his phone. Trying to push it aside, he seated himself a few tables away. Nico tried to pay attention to the band playing onstage but his eyes kept drifting over to the other table.

His fingers tapped the edge of the hot coffee he prepared. Should just set it on the table and leave or should he wait. The longer he sat there, the more pieces of the conversation he could overhear. Something about a mom, bonding, and... boys? The conversation obviously was making the blonde upset. His jaw was tightened and his knuckles were turning white from gripping the table.

* * *

After what seemed like eternity Castor put down the phone. He crossed his arms and put his head down on the cool wooden table. Maybe he could just spend the rest of his life in this stupid coffee den. It wasn't the best, but the weird music seemed to make him forget about the outside world. On top of that, the one person he could stand to see was here daily.

His father irritated him so much. Always with the nagging about bonding with new women he found. On top of that, Mr. Bacchus thought it would be a great idea that Castor should finally get a girlfriend. It would be exactly what the media wanted and it would make an impression on clients. Something about connecting with them on a personal level. Well, there were quite a few issues with that plan.

First off Castor was 99.99% sure he was gay. So getting a girlfriend would be difficult. Not looks wise necessarily, but personality wise. There was something about the opposite sex that just seemed off to him. Sure, they could be an enjoyable companion, but partner wise he just couldn't make it work. The fundamentals of a relationship between a boy a girl made no sense to him. However, a boy and boy seemed as clear as day.

The problem with that was the fact that his father was one of the biggest homophobes in the United States. So coming out to him was a challenge. There was no possible way to do it without being beaten and then thrown out of the house. As far as his father knew, he just slept around with a bunch of girls. There had been times when it almost slipped out, but something always made him stop before the words could be said.

Smelling something warm and sweet, Castor lifted his head to see his coffee sitting on the table in front of him while Nico walked back behind the counter. He took a sip of his coffee and thought about what Nico said earlier. _"Coming from the boy who doesn't check his phone."_

"Fuck!" Castor mumbled, earning a hard glare from a mother with her two sons sitting at the table next to him. Castor ignored the woman and pulled out his phone. He punched in his password, 6426. Had it really been Nico who called him that morning? That would explain the raven haired boy's attitude with him. He was never this snarky to him.

Castor clicked the phone icon immediately and saw that the number that called him was unknown. That had to be it. It was definitely Nico who called, but to be sure he was going to ask. He scooted his chair out and walked briskly to the counter. "Was it you who called me earlier today?" He asked Nico.

"I don't know, was it?" Responded Nico with a condescending voice. "Exactly how many phone calls are you getting from strange numbers a night?"

"So it was you!"

"Now, I never said it was me. What if it was a telemarketer?"

"Highly unlikely, this is a private line so all advertisements get pushed to a different line automatically. Was it you?"

"No. Maybe. Yes? If I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"God, you're fucking impossible you know that? I just want to see if you called me. Calm your man boobs."

"First off, I do not have man boobs. Secondly you're just as impossible. So were even," Nico stated while crossing his arms defensively over his chest.

"Give me your phone," Castor said in an authoritative voice.

"What? No way in hell. "

"Give me your phone," Castor repeated forcefully.

"No. "

"Give me the goddamn phone before I decide to throw my coffee on the ground. "

"Be my guest."

"Fine, we'll do this the hard way. " Castor took off the lid of his cup and placed it on the counter. How far would he have to go before the other boy cracked. He began to slowly tip the cup over while maintaining eye contact with Nico.

The hard glare in the boys eyes set him on edge. It was as if he were being tested. Part of the stare he was receiving beckoned him to do it. But the other part was calculating how much damage he could inflict upon the customer without being fired.

Castor slowly began to tip the cup until a few drops spilled out. He noticed that Nico twitched each time a drop hit the floor. Just as he was about to completely tip it over, a dark shiny object slid across the counter. Castor pocketed the object and then set his coffee cup down. Glancing at the boy, he was met with a hard stare. He was not one who gave in easily. There was a power struggle between the two of them, where neither of them won. He felt a tiny bit guilty for spilling coffee on the floor but it was a leverage point that he was willing to use if it meant winning this battle.

As he walked over to the napkin dispenser he slipped his hand into his pocket to feel the object. It was definitely an older model phone. It was so chunky compared to his. Grabbing a few napkins he headed back to the spot of the spill and squatted down cleaning up the mess he made. All the while he could feel Nico's eyes piece through his head.

Finally feeling satisfied that he had done a decent job cleaning up he met the raven haired boy's stare for approval. A curt nod of the head was all he received in response. He stood back up and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He turned it on, and without a moment of hesitation, he clicked 'Recent Calls'. Looking at the numbers he saw his own blinking at the top. With his theory confirmed, he set the old phone on the counter, without sparing a glance to Nico.

Castor turned away and walked to the table he deemed his own in the far corner of the room. He pulled out his own phone, entered his password, and went to his own recent calls, and hit redial.

* * *

Nico watched Castor walk away with a grimace. What kind of bastard does that, leaves without saying a thing. He picked up his phone, and noticed it was vibrating. He looked over to Castor again, and saw his signature smirk graced upon his face. Nico answered the phone and held it to his ear.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Why, I'm returning your call. It would be rude not to."

"You're an asshole." With these final words, Nico pressed end on his phone and turned around to get back to work. Not 30 seconds later, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. "_What_."

"You know, it's rude to hang up on people."

"It's also rude to ignore peoples calls, so I guess we're even."

"I didn't ignore your call, I returned it. Surely you remember, you were standing there, I was sitting here and-"

"Yeah, I get it. Thanks for the play by play."

"I'm here for you, sweet cheeks."

"Don't call me 'sweet cheeks'."

"Okay, honey bun."

"No."

"'No' what, babe?"

"I swear to god, I'll hang up."

"Ah come on! What's up your butt, Sweetums? Actually, it'll be me in a-"

"Stop it, leave me alone."

"No can do, Pumpkin, but if you agree to classy evening out, I'm might be able to arrange something."

"I'm hanging up, and then I'm going home."

"Ah come on, Beautiful, don't be like that. We can work through this!"

"Goodbye," and without another word, Nico hung up his phone. As he went to grab his jacket, he felt his phone vibrate again. With a sigh, he answered. "Oh my god, what the fuck do you want now?"

"What's your problem?" Bianca said, surprised at her brothers tone.

Nico looked over to where Castor was grabbing his jacket and bag, and glared. Castor smirked in response, and gave him a mock salute before heading out of the shop.

"Uh, sorry, nothing, um, what's up?"

"Ok. Um, whatever, when are you getting home for dinner?"

"Um, sorry, yeah, I'm on my way."

"Okay, Love yah."

"Mmhmm." Nico hung up his phone, and distractedly walked down the street towards their apartment.

* * *

Castor smirked as he walked home, thinking about the day. He quickly saved Nico's number into his phone and let out a laugh. Definite progress had been made.

* * *

**Hello Friends! How are you. We hope you enjoyed reading this and please feel free to send us any ideas or comments you might have about the story. We love you and thank you so much for reading!** **As always, all rights go to the incredible Rick Riordan.**

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**MGMalfoy0268 and Celadongirl123**


	4. Chapter 3: Coffee with a Side of Grapes

A loud vibration could be heard coming from the night stand. Letting out a deep breath Castor reached out and grabbed his phone, hoping that it wasn't his dad with more 'assignments' for him to do. He was already expected to be involved in the wedding plans, 'mother'/son bonding time, and the illustrious task of finding himself a girlfriend.

Most of the time he could say that school was too overbearing and he didn't have time to maintain a relationship. However, these past few days his father had been more than persistent on the topic. He even went as far as trying to set up a date with the daughter of his best customer. His dad, however, was the least of his concerns. The media was starting to spread the rumor that he was spending a bit _too _much time with guys.

Of course, his father jumped to the conclusion that the most horrible thing that could happen to the family did, his star son was gay. That lead to an intense one-sided conversation over the phone that left Castor feeling like a fake to himself. He was tired of lying to his father about this particular topic. It had been years since he came out to himself and he still hadn't been able to say it to a single member of his family.

Castor needed to take his mind off things. He wasn't sure how much more he could handle. He couldn't take pictures at the warehouse because his father took his camera away 'until further notice.' So that left him two options, swimming or running. The quickest way out was running. So that's exactly what he did.

Slipping on a pair of purple tennis shoes and an old shirt, Castor was out the door in less than 5 minutes, purposely leaving his phone on his bed. He started at a slow pace, just warming up, heading towards Central Park. As he began to pick up speed and he could feel his problems and heavy thoughts sliding away with the warm sweat that had begun to drip from his skin. Castor's mind was blissfully blank.

Until, of course, he noticed a pale young man reading on a park bench. He wasn't positive it was Nico, but then again how many people wear a black, long sleeved shirt with skulls on it in 70 degree weather. He knew of only one.

Wanting to be absolutely sure that it was him, Castor decided to run a few circles in the park around where the boy was located in order to confirm his belief. It seemed as if each time he tried to pass by, the reader would shift his position so it was impossible to tell who it was. By the time he reached his sixth lap he was extremely frustrated. Why was it so difficult to see who this person is?

"Castor?" A confused, but familiar voice called out.

"Oh thank the gods! It is you," Castor responded, relieved that he wasn't stalking a stranger. _Not _that he was stalking Nico.

"I'm going to assume you were the person that kept running past?"

"How did you guess?"

"Hmm, well I think there are only one pair of bright neon orange shorts in the park this morning...Here's some advice, if you ever decide to you're going to creep on someone again, choose a less conspicuous outfit. Neon orange shorts and purple running shoes can be seen from miles away."

"Hey, it was the first thing I grabbed, okay?" A light blush was beginning to grace Castors face. "Secondly, it's not like I was planning on stalking you."

"Ha! You admitted it was stalking"

"Now I never said-"

"You said the word stalking. Castor Bacchus was stalking an innocent person."

"I was not!" Castor replied, trying to keep the smirk off his face. "I was...selectively watching from a distance..."

"So in other words, stalking."

"Well, you are quite intriguing. Who wouldn't want to stalk you?" Castor replied, doing the one thing he knew best. Flirting.

"I'm pretty sure there are only about 5 people who know of my existence, and none of them would."

"Really? I would think that you are well known. If you know what I mean" He then continued to wiggle his eyebrows causing Nico to blush.

"Well. I- I- I'm not a very social person" Nico stammered, his stoic mask cracking.

"Sure you aren't, honey. You keep telling yourself that. Exactly how many people have ravished those lip?" Castor asked with wink.

"What!" Said a very bright red boy.

"You heard me. How many?"

"I never- I haven't-... Wait, why am I telling you this?"

"Because you want me to know the answer," Castor purred. With that he gently grabbed Nico's chin and forced the other boy to look his way. The poor raven haired boy was beet red and thoroughly confused as to what was going on. Only as his head was being pulled forward did it click that he was about to be kissed.

Their lips were milliseconds away from touching when Nico jerked his head sharply to the right, causing Castor to miss his target.

"I don't want it to be this way," Nico mumbled. Shaking Castors hand off, he began to gather his stuff off the park bench.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Somewhere else." Nico responded monotonously, the blank mask on his face again.

"Look I'm sorry. Please sit down."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be someone's piece of meat. I actually want to feel like a person, not a game to win. " Castor stood there I'm shock. Is that what Nico thought was going on. That he was being toyed with. A pang of guilt hit Castor in the stomach making a sour taste in his mouth. He needed to fix this, _now._

"Listen Nico-"

"Just leave me alone okay. I don't know what's going on between us. But I want it to stop," Nico said while turning away. The walls that he had carefully built were having huge holes blown in them every second due to the blonde.

Castor grabbed Nico's shoulder and forced him to turn around. "Listen for once, god dammit. I'm sorry. This isn't supposed to be a game between us. To be honest, I don't even know what I'm doing."

"So explain that," Nico said gesturing to the now empty bench. "Explain to me why that almost happened."

For the first time, in a long time, Castor couldn't think of what to say. "I- I'm not sure exactly. I just know some part of me find you attractive."

"Uh huh, suuuree it does. Fuck off and find another toy."

"Look I wasn't trying to get you mad. I was only doing what was natural for me."

"Did you ever stop and consider me? What I wanted?" Nico asked accusingly.

"I just figured-"

"Well you figured wrong," Nico snapped.

"What do you want me to do to make it up to you? Beg on my knees for your forgiveness?"

"That would be a start." With that Castor got down on one knee and grabbed Nico's hand.

He looked around to make sure the park was empty. He didn't need any reporters finding him kneeling in from if some guy. Clearing his throat, he put on his most apologetic face and began.

"I am sincerely sorry for my rash actions. Please accept this action as a formal apology. To make it up to you, let me treat you to a cup of coffee." There was a moment of awkward silence between the boys. Castor wasn't quite sure what to do now, so he remained on his knee. Usually, after a display like that, he was instantly forgiven and was able to move on with the rest of the day. That was one of the perks of being a Bacchus. You were formally trained at a young age to have the best etiquette in social situations. Because god forbid you embarrassed Paul.

After what seemed like eternity Nico finally spoke. "For the moment, that will cut it. But for future reference don't pull that stupid shit on me again." He crossed his arms and continued gathering his stuff.

Happy that the phrase that came out of the boy's mouth contained the word future, Castor began to pull out his phone.

"So, where are going?" Asked Nico.

Confused Castor glanced at the boy, "what do you mean?"

"You said you were going to treat me to coffee, and I am not letting a free cup of joe slip through my fingers. God knows I'll need it later today." Chucking Castor only nodded his head.

"We can go wherever you want, but I need to grab my wallet from my place first." With that the two boys began walking to the Bacchus residence. They made small talk during the short period of time it took to walk from the park to the house. As they approached the building Castor realized that he was about to invite a stranger, a boy nonetheless, into his father's home.

He hadn't had anyone over since seventh grade. His father had thought that close proximity between his son and pubescent boys was not a good combination, and thus banned everyone from coming over. The only exception to this rule was if he brought a girl home, but that hadn't happened for years.

Bringing a boy that he was interested in up to his room was not a good idea for many reasons. First off, if Paul saw them he didn't even want to know what might happen to Nico. Secondly, being alone with the raven haired boy was probably not the best idea considering what happened at the park. He couldn't even explain his own actions, and it scared him to think just how impulsive he really was. Lastly, his house was, how to put it, richly decorated. Someone always commented about the design and decorations filling the house. The last thing he wanted was for Nico to think he was some rich snob.

"Why don't you wait out here, and I'll go up and grab my stuff. It'll be quicker, plus I know you'll distract me in the bedroom if you come up." Castor winked at Nico, before entering the tall building.

* * *

Nico's eyes traveled up the luxurious building, that apparently, was Castor's home. If the ornately carved door frame wasn't a big enough hint, the door man sending him dirty looks made it clear, people who lived here came from money, and Nico belonged nowhere near it.

Nico looked over at Castor, just in time to see his suggestive wink. A blush creeped up to Nico's cheeks as he watched Castor walk away.

_Jesus Christ, how the hell did I get myself into this? _Nico had gotten out of class early and went to the nearest place available to start on some homework before he went home. All he wanted to do was read up on the latest studies of the human body after rigor mortum set in so he wouldn't have to do it later, but then Blondie had to show up and... and play his little game with him. _I'm not a fucking toy! _Nico kicked a rock off the sidewalk in frustration.

The worst part was that he enjoyed it. He was elated at the fact that he was almost kissed. What made him turn his head in the end was just him over thinking again. He wanted the kiss to be genuine, not part of some sick game that the blonde played. Nico wasn't going to be used, and if even a second came that he felt as though he was, he was out.

He sat down on the bench by the door, he might as well be comfortable while he waited for that smartass. As he sat down, he heard a muffled conversation that was getting progressively louder and louder by the second. He slowly turned his body so he could see into the building, and there stood Castor, looking more intense and angry than Nico had ever seen him. Next to him stood a tall man in a well fitted suit, holding a briefcase. The man stood proudly, but his face was quickly turning red with rage. Nico compared the two men, standing across from each other and noticed many similarities and differences between the two. They both stood tall and strong, neither backing down from the fight. While the older man's expression had an air of cruelty to it, Castor looked passionate, intense on what he was saying. Both men had an aura of confidence, to the point of arrogance, surrounding them that was impossible to miss. Though their outward appearance was completely different, they both had a strong jawline and conviction that cut like a knife.

After looking between the two, Nico was sure, he was observing the infamous father to Castor.

* * *

While running upstairs to grab his wallet Castor was running through a list of the best coffee joints. He had told Nico that he could choose where they went, but Castor wanted to treat the boy. Knowing Nico, he would settle for a 99 cent coffee from the local gas station.

Quickly locating his wallet on his nightstand, he grabbed his keys and attempted to put them in his pocket. Looking down, he realized that his running shorts were probably not the best choice for an outing. He grabbed a pair of jeans lying on his chair and slipped them on. Taking a quick glance in the mirror, he adjusted his hair and was out the door.

As he was making his way down the staircase, he heard a voice and stopped. His father was in the lobby talking to the receptionist. Should he risk being seen or wait until he was gone.

Knowing Paul, the conversation would most likely be a long one. His father really _enjoyed_ talking to her. He wouldn't have been surprised if something more was going on between them. Even though his father was engaged, the title didn't hold him back from messing around. That disgusted Castor to no end. How someone was able to sleep around while in a relationship and not feel guilty made his head hurt.

From the looks of it, both of them were completely engaged in conversation, so Castor took the risk and quietly tiptoed toward the door. As soon as he reached the last step his father turned around.

"Great timing Castor, I need to speak with you."

"Can it wait? I'm kinda in a hurry here," Castor responded, annoyed that his plan had been thwarted.

"I'm sure that whatever it is, can wait. Now follow me to my office."

"No. I need to leave _now,_" Castor said impatiently.

"This is more important than anything you have to do."

"Nothing you do is important. I'm leaving." Castor began to walk away when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me, Castor. If you ever want your precious camera back, you're going to stand here and listen to what I'm saying."

Castor slowly turned around with a grimace. "What?" he grumbled, his jaw was tight and his teeth were grinding together.

"Please, stop acting like an insolent child and drop the attitude. No one in the business world would want to deal with someone so immature."

"So this is about business?" Castor said, looking down and avoiding eye contact.

"No, this is about your image. I can't have you looking like a fag in the papers," his father said in a business-like tone.

Castor looked up from the spot on his shoes he was staring at, horrified, "Dad!"

"What?" Paul said, inquiring as to what on earth his son had an unnecessary outburst for.

"You can't-"

"Can't what? I assure you I can do anything I please." He said, brushing aside Castor objection.

"But-"

"Why are you concerned about this? I can't have a bad spotlight on you. You know what will happen to the company's reputation. As the future CEO, you need to have the best possible image." Mr. Bacchus scolded.

"Being gay isn't a bad thing." Castor said, his voice rising.

Paul immediately looked up, his hawk like eyes boring into his son's. "How do you know? Would you like to share something with me?"

"No, I-" Castor began to explain, but his father cut him off again.

"Good, I should hope not. Continuing with my earlier point. You being the future CEO of the company means that you need to build your self up in the media, in a **respectable light**. There is no better way to do this than by your obtainment of a girlfriend."

"I don't have time for this right now, _Paul" _

"Well I didn't have time for you, but you still came along. We deal with what needs to be done and right now, you need to start searching or I will do it for you." At this point, both men's voices were gradually getting louder, and the receptionist in the corner looked concerned, but went by unnoticed by both.

"No," Castor stated.

"What did you just say to me?" Paul said, his voice booming.

"I. said. no. I don't want a girlfriend right now, and I don't have to 'obtain' one, as you so eloquently put it." Castor defied, feeling more powerful than he had in years.

"If you don't, the media will start getting on you as to why you're still single. I don't need to deal with anymore rumors of you sucking cock. You will get a girlfriend, and you will do it by the end of the week. End of story."

"How the hell do you expect me to find a girlfriend in two days?"

"You're clever, you'll figure something out. And remember, your dear camera will remain in my possession until you have reached your goal.

Castor's jaw clenched. "Fine," he hissed and he took that as his cue to leave. As he was walking out the door, Paul called out one final thing.

"Remember, women like men who smile. So wipe the grimace off your face." The response he received was Castor flipping him off as he walked out the door.

* * *

Nico saw Castor storming towards the door, and sat back up trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. As he pushed open the entrance, Castor stomped to the side of the building and grabbed a rock to angrily throw across the street. For a moment, he seemed pleased, but anger quickly overtook his features again. As he was rising from picking up another, Nico stepped up to him and spoke, "Uh, how about you stop throwing stones before you hit someone and cause a lawsuit."

Castor glared up at Nico, completely pissed off. Nico defiantly held his stare for about 15 seconds, before Castor slowly let the rocks slip through his fingers and drop near his toes. He took a deep breath before muttering, "I have to get out of here."

"Well no shit, Sherlock."

Castor glanced over at Nico surprised and said with a small smile, "Aren't you suppose to be nice to me right now, you know, 'cause i'm all sad and stuff."

"Don't count on it." Nico said jokingly. Castor looked up at him and was surprised to see that Nico's eyes were trained on him, concerned and filled with sincerity. Castor took a deep breath, suddenly feeling more than just physically attracted to the boy standing in front of him than ever.

* * *

"Come on," Castor said. "I want to show you something." Nico remained quiet and just nodded. They walked together in a comfortable silence for several blocks until they reached the train station. Nico gave Castor a questioning glance, wondering where in the hell they were going. Castor smiled, his eyes' twinkling, "trust me."

And Nico realized, he did.

* * *

They got onto the train, and sat in the seats against the wall. Castor glanced around, looking for any hidden cameras amongst the people. Public transportation was one of the most popular places to get photographed because you can't leave until the next stop, so essentially, you're stuck.

"Looking for terrorists?" Nico joked, looking over at Castor, whose eyes were darting around rapidly, looking for any movement.

"Huh," Castor looked over at Nico who was looking at him curiously. "Oh, no. I mean, you never know who's around and what they're doing." Castor mumbled, referring to the paparazzi. Nico, however, was left even more confused than before.

"Okay..." Nico nodded his head in mock agreement. What the hell was Blondey even referring to? As soon as they stepped foot on the train Castor had been almost as tense as when he walked out of his house.

"What are you on about?" Nico said.

Castor cleared his throat before quietly responding, "Nothing, nothing at all." He closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall while Nico was left pondering. Sensing that Castor just needed quiet, he too laid his head on the wall, both of them just listening to the creaking sounds of the train making it's way across the city.

* * *

After a while, Nico glanced over at Castor to see him looking through his wallet. Feeling curious, Nico grabbed the wallet out of Castor's hands and pulled out his driver's license.

"Hey!" Castor protested.

Nico ignored Castor's objection, and looked over the little card. He read the name and his jaw dropped. _Castor Lucas Charles Bacchus. _Suddenly, the overwhelming urge to laugh came over Nico. Tears were nearly streaming down his face as Nico tried to talk, laughing in between words. "I just now realized, that you're….last..name is…..._Bacchus!" _

Confused, Castor replied, "Yeah, you already knew that. What of it?"

At this point, Nico was having trouble breathing and was holding his stomach. "Oh, nothing. ….Nothing at all..._Grapes."_

"Hey, don't call me that."

"I'm sorry, what was that, Grapes?" Nico goaded.

"I said, don't call me that!" Castor protest, demanding for his license back.

"I can't hear you Grapes, please speak up." Nico's face was that of a 5 year old's at DisneyWorld.

"Ugh, Dammit Nico, You're never going to let this go, are you?" Castor groaned.

"Don't count on it." Nico smiled. Releasing one last chuckle, he relaxed into his seat and rested his head on the wall once again. A comfortable silence came over them as Nico relaxed, listening to the bustling sounds of the train.

While Nico rested, Castor looked down at his bright purple shoes. _Purple, hah, how fitting. Who comes up with Grapes? What a god awful nickname._ But as he told himself how horrible the title was, he couldn't help but feel the blush slowly climbing his cheeks. Not that he would ever admit it to himself or anyone else, but he kinda liked the nickname. But only a little.

A few minutes later, Castor felt something fall onto his left shoulder. Looking down, he saw Nico's head resting there, his face blissfully blank. The kid had fallen asleep. He glanced around again to check that there weren't any pesky reporters who could take an image that would surely set his father off. Deeming it all clear, Castor looked back down and watched him as he slept; he looked so much younger. With his face relaxed, he seemed like he could be a regular college kid in New York, just riding the train around without any worries or major stress.

Castor was just about to shake Nico awake before someone noticed, but he heard something coming out of the boy's lips. Leaning a little closer so he could hear, he heard him mumble, "Blondey." Castor jaw dropped in surprise. No way. Leaning down once again, he listened, "Blondey!" It was unmistakable this time, Castor smirked and sat up while thinking about this. _A+ blackmail material,_ he thought, _but then again, I think i'll just keep this to myself. _Castor let out a true smile, before relaxing against the seat again, thinking of the boy whose head rested upon his shoulder.

* * *

Someone was shaking his shoulder and quite frankly it was pissing him off. "Go away," Nico mumbled incomprehensibly.

He heard a chuckle coming from his right, "Come on, Coffee Boy, we're gonna miss our stop." Coffee boy? Why did that sound familiar. Whatever, it could wait. Nico was currently having the best nap of his life. Only when he snuggled into something bony did it click.

Shit.

He did not fall asleep on Castors shoulder... He didn't. He was just imagining things. When he opened his eyes, he would be lying on his bed, at home, with Bianca yelling at him to get up. _Bang Bang_. See? That's her knocking on the door. Nico slowly opened his eyes to see a florescent light shining in his eyes and an old man hitting his walking stick on the seat in front of him. _Fuck me. _

Maybe, he could fake being asleep and then Castor would leave him on the train. _Not likely. _Castor wouldn't be able to get away without having to peel Nico's arms away from him. _Goddammit, why was he a cuddler. _He felt Castor shaking him again, and wondered the best way to do this. He could slowly sit up, fall off his seat, or-

Nico's train of thought came to a halt as he heard Castor speak, "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice." Castor stood up quickly, causing Nico to tumble to the floor. When opening his eyes once again, he saw Castor's smirking face looming over his body. "Rise and shine sleeping beauty!"

Nico's face grew beet red and he groaned in embarrassment. "Ugh, can we just, forget that ever happened. _Please."_

Castor's smile widened, "Not in your lifetime, honey." He reached out his hand, which Nico swatted away in annoyance. The last thing he needed was to embarrass himself further.

As soon as Nico stood up, the train decided to suddenly stop causing Nico to crash into Castors well toned chest. _Great, just what he needed, his face slammed into the man boobs of the most attractive person on the train. _

_Not_ that he was complaining. But his face turned a shade a red that shouldn't be humanly possible. "I- I- sorry?" Was all that could come out of his mouth.

"It's fine coffee boy, It's good that you are finally embracing your sexuality," Castor replied pulling Nico into a hug. "I'm proud. Not many people are open about this kinda stuff."

"I was never- The train-"

"Uh-huh, suuuure I believe that," Castor said with a wink. Sighing in resignation Nico just shook his head and pushed his way out of Castors warm arms.

The train beeped, symbolizing that it was fully stopped. The doors slowly slid open letting the dank subway air enter the small train cart.

"This is our stop, move your butt before I make it move for you," Castor said, while gently shoving Nico towards the door.

"What if my butt doesn't want to move?" Nico challenged.

"Then I guess I'll have to do this." Castor then proceeded to pinch the raven haired boy's posterior, causing him to less than gracefully exit the train.

"Watch your fingers finger, Grapes. That hurt," Nico huffed, while rubbing the pinched area.

"Really? Still with the grapes. I was hoping you would have forgotten it..."

"Like I said before, not likely. Now which way to the elusive spot you are taking me to?"

Chuckling at just how trustworthy the boy was with him, he grabbed Nico's forearm and began dragging him out out of the subway station.

* * *

**Hello lovely readers! I hope you have all been having a fabulous summer (if you live in the northern hemisphere, a fabulous winter) and thank you so much for reading our story! We are having way too much fun with it and are constantly freaking out about how cute Nico and Castor are, because goddammit, they are rapidly making their way to being the OTP of my heart. We wanted to let you know that you should hold on to your seat belts because the next update will feature a major event that you won't want to miss. That is all. Again, Thank you so much for reading! Please, Review, Favorite, and Follow!**

**With much love and never hate (usually),**

**Celadongirl123 and MGMalfoy0268**


	5. Chapter 4: Pictures and Memories

Usually the walk to warehouse from the train station was a nice trip, however today was a different story. Having the company of another was a nice change, but it felt extremely strange. Castor had been walking out here by himself for years.

* * *

"_Castor...Castor, she's gone." His father looked up at Castor, his usual cold and unwavering stare broken and tired._

"_No...No! she can't be, she has to get better. She is __**going**_ _to get better. She'll be fine!" Castor denied his lip trembling, refusing to believe that his mother was gone. He felt a wet tear roll down his cheek. _

_His father's voice had regained its strength and was once again brass and abrasive."Dammit Castor! Stop it! It's time for you to stop acting like an insolent child, and start acting like a man." You need to grow up and realize she isn't coming back." Suddenly, he broke off and his voice cracked, "she isn't coming back." _

_Castor watched as his father fell into the uncomfortable chair in the harsh white hospital waiting room. As much as he wanted to believe his mother was still alive, a piece of him felt like it had been wrenched out of his body, leaving a gaping hole in the center of his chest. He rubbed his eyes furiously in an attempt to stop the continuous flow of tears._

_He had known for a long time this day was coming. When he waited outside the office he could overhear the doctors talking in hushed tones. It was always a prediction of how long she had left. From 5 years, to 3 months, to 2 weeks, to only a few more hours._

_It had been like that for so long, but he had stayed resilient. At first she had responded well to the chemo, but it was only a matter of time the doctors said. _

_Time. It was always about time. Castor could always hear the ticking of the clock in his mother's hospital room, growing louder by the second._

_Tick__**.**_

_Tick._

_**Tick**__._

_The glow from his mother slowly faded and her skin became so thin that the veins made a visible map across her body. The worst was in the beginning, when his mother told him she couldn't go with him to their warehouse anymore. The abandoned building was where his mother and him would go to just be together. When Castor turned 8 and had first taken an interest in photography, his mother presented him with his very first camera on the roof. The very first picture he took was of her, hair blowing in the breeze, admiring the skyline without a care in the world._

_He had spent the day sobbing in his room realizing that his mom was going to leave at some point. It pained him even more after he realized that Pollux and Nash would never fully remember her. _

_The week after Castor's mom died had been a blur. All of the family portraits were replaced with generic landscape paintings or tacky modern art of lines and triangles that held no meaning. The only picture he managed to save was a small wallet sized photo that was taken shortly after Nash was born. _

_Everyone was laughing except for his father who had a grimace on his face, as if realizing that happiness was only a temporary state. Where the rest of the pictures went, Castor never knew. He had spent countless hours searching for them in the attic and all the storage spots they had, but they were no where to be found. _

_As years passed, his dad turned into Paul, the cold unresponsive person that cared only about himself. Pollux and his other brother Nash, who had been born a few months before his mother had been diagnosed, had somehow become Castor's responsibility. It didn't help that Nash and Pollux were trouble magnets either. He tried all that he could but he couldn't seem to tame the two boys. They were missing a role model that even Castor couldn't fit the mold for._

_There were moments when he felt that he was the father figure in his younger brothers life. That itself scared him beyond belief; he was in charge of raising children even though he was a mere child himself. _

_Castor had avoided the warehouse the entire first year after his mother's death, but as time went on, he grew to realize that the spot that had been his mother's and his, still was. Just because she had passed, didn't mean it wasn't still theirs. The warehouse became a memorial to Castor in remembrance of his mother. A place that he could spend time with her, even if she wasn't here._

_When Castor wasn't at school, raising his brothers, or spending only the minimally required amount of time with friends, he was at the warehouse. Sometimes taking photographs, but most often just sitting and thinking, spending time with his mother. Occasionally he would talk aloud and tell her what had been going on lately, sometimes ranting about Paul, but always careful to downplay the worst fights. After all, Castor knew they had been in love, that much was obvious. Even as a kid, he could see that his parents had something special. But after his mother died, his dad seemed to die too. The only thing left of the previous man was a cruel shell of what used to be._

_Paul became unresponsive to everything but work soon after her passing. It was bad enough that he ignored the boys, but the final blow was him not showing up to Castor's high school graduation. In fact, no one showed up. They were all too busy doing their own thing. Nobody in the family had noticed that Castor had graduated until he stopped going to school. _

_Once his brother's realized what they had missed, they tried to make it up to him by throwing a surprise party with just the three of them and an enormous homemade cake. Castor tried to take a bite, but it was like eating a brick. They boys had tried, but he hoped to god they would never become bakers. They laughed and talked well into the night like they hadn't in years. It was the first time that Castor felt he had actual brothers rather than just a responsibility. When Pollux brought the party up in a conversation at dinner the following day, Mr. Bacchus's only response was, "I hope you got into a good college" before resuming their solemn dinner. After this, the minimal respect he had for Paul flew out the window, never to be seen again. _

* * *

Castor longed to be back in the cool train station, it felt as if he was trudging through the Sahara desert with a furnace strapped to his back. Wearing jeans was a terrible choice. He could feel the sweat collecting on his brow. Why he chose today of all days to take Nico here made him rethink his sanity. Looking to his left he noticed that Nico was beginning to look uncomfortable due to the warm weather. Then again, a person wearing a black long sleeve shirt, jeans, and a leather jacket should have had a heat stroke by now, so who knew what the boy was feeling.

"How the hell are you not sweating yet?" Castor complained loudly, running his fingers through his slightly damp hair.

"I'm used to the heat," Nico nonchalantly replied sticking his hands in his pockets. "Plus I get cold easily, so right now isn't so bad."

Castor just shook his head, he always picked the weird ones. Glancing back over at Nico he noticed that the boy was playing with his sleeves, debating whether or not to roll them up. He started to push up his right sleeve, but quickly pulled it down like he was uncomfortable showing the skin. As if sensing Castor's gaze on him, he stopped fidgeting immediately.

* * *

"So uh... Where is this mysterious coffee shop?" Nico inquired, breaking the silence, attempting to draw the attention away from himself.

Castor smacked his forehead. Fuck. He had completely forgotten about taking him to the coffee shop. "I- uhhh... There's a place I wanted to take you first. After that we'll go."

"When you phrase it like that, it makes it seem like you are going to take me to some old abandoned warehouse and kill me," Nico joked.

Castor only smirked, "You'll see."

Nico continued walking beside him. Where the hell were they going? They couldn't be far now. If they had to go much further, he felt as though he would pass out from heat exhaustion. Castor suddenly turned off the sidewalk, and J-walked across the street; Nico followed closely behind, not wanting to be caught on the other side.

Abruptly, Castor stopped in his tracks, causing Nico to bump directly into him. Castor reached out an arm to steady them, his hand resting on Nico's bicep.

Gently squeezing his arm, Castor grinned, "Hmmm, not bad, coffee boy, I'm impressed."

Nico pulled his arm out of Castor's grasp and took a step back, muttering an rushed apology, his cheeks a bright crimson. Ignoring the ever-present smirk that graced Castor's features, he said, "So, where are we headed to?"

Castor looked him in his eyes, basking in the glory of irony and smiled, "We're here."

Nico looked up at the building to see it was in fact, a decrepit, unsafe, and abandoned warehouse.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Nico's tried to keep his face as neutral as possible to not give away his shock.

Castor would never admit it, but he was feeling nervous about the odd expression on the pale boy's face. He asked the first question that came to his mind; "So... What do you think?"

Nico ran his fingers through his hair, at a loss of what to saw. "It's- uhh...it's really something..." Well, Not exactly the most reassuring response he had hoped for.

Castor nodded, butterflies filling his stomach as he began to speak, losing himself in memories. "It's practically my second home. I've been coming here since I was little," a glazed expression overtook his features as he remembered the initial time he came to the spot. The very first time he saw the building, he had the same expression as Nico, yet without the tact to attempt to hide it. He could remember the way his mother laughed and pulled him inside anyway without a word.

Nico regained his capability of speech and said, "It's definitely not something I would've expected from you, Grapes. You don't come off as the type person who spends their time in an old abandoned warehouse."

"Well it's much nicer from the inside, I promised."

Nico's only response was a questioning raise of his eyebrow.

"Come on Coffee Boy, I'll show you." Castor pulled Nico along by the arm towards the entrance he always used.

* * *

The door was located on the side of the building held closed by chain and lock. Castor reached into his shirt and pulled off a thin chain that was hanging around his neck.

On it were two identical gold keys that opened the lock that held the doors closed. The only difference between them was that the handle of one was worn and dirty from use. "I guess you could say we're kinda protective over who gets in," Castor explained, while turning the key.

"We?" Nico questioned, confused.

Well, shit. That wasn't supposed to come out. Even if he did still consider it theirs, he couldn't go around saying he shared things with the...dead.

Seeing the blonde mentally reprimand himself, Nico asked gently,"is that why there are two keys?"

"Yeah...," Castor said tentatively, avoiding eye contact, "the other one doesn't really get used anymore the person who had it they- um they-"

"You don't have to say it if you don't want to. I get it. There are some thing I don't even share with my sister," Nico said, attempting to ease the other boys discomfort of the subject.

"Wait, you have a sister?" Castor, thrown from his previous train of thought, looked over at Nico, surprised.

"Yeah, She's the reason I work at that shitty coffee place. Both of us have to get through college somehow," Nico stated bluntly, as if proclaiming the obvious.

"Aren't your parents going to help you pay?" Castor asked, suddenly extremely curious.

A dark look passed over Nico's face, causing Castor look away and focus all of his attention on unwrapping the chain from around the door.

Something about that look chilled Castor to the core. It was the look of pure rage combined with heart wrenching pain, and Castor was damned if he wasn't going to find out the story behind it.

* * *

Nico watched as Castor unwrapped the chain from the door, each clink of the chain hitting metal bringing back painful memories of his mother and father.

_Nico had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for his dad to come home from work. Suddenly, a feeling of warmth was felt on his left arm, and a moment later, the warmth turned into intense burning, causing him to jolt awake. He attempted to pull his arm away from the heat, opening his eyes._

_The first thing he noticed was the overwhelming smell of alcohol in the air, and then he noticed the looming figure standing above him. The room was dimly lit and hazy from the constant cigarette use. On the coffee table sat five empty beer bottles. As he became more aware, he could distinguish his father glaring down at him, a beer held in one hand._

_He looked down at his throbbing arm to see that there was a burn mark imprinted on his skin. The area was bright red and beginning to blister. The pain he was feeling caused his eyes to water._

"_Look what you made me do son," his father, a glazed expression on his face, with a heavy trace of alcohol on his breath. _

_Nico looked up at his father, clearly confused, as he placed his palm over the burn, attempting to cool the pain. "I- I don't know what you're talking about, Dad." _

_His father's vision focused on Nico as he scolded,"You made me waste a perfectly good cigarette, that's what you did." _

"_No, I-"_

"_Your stupid moving made me drop it on the ground. I can't use it anymore thanks to you."_

"_It burned my arm, I was asleep. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I…" Nico said, hanging his head, trying to avoid his father's drunken gaze._

"_Burned?" The large man laughed, stumbling about the room, as though the injury were a small scratch. "A real man would take the pain. You should be stronger." The man fumbled with the lighter in his pocket as he tried to light another cigarette. Nico moved to scoot away from the drunken man. _

_A hand shot out and roughly grabbed his injured arm pushing on the burn, causing Nico cry out. His father took a deep inhale, and then pressed the burning tip right next the original injury on Nico's arm. Nico squirmed and cried out trying to get away, but the grip on him was solid._

"_Now stop making noise. If you wake your sister up, I'll do the same to her." The threat immediately shut Nico up. He wouldn't let that happen. Bianca wasn't going to be hurt by this bastard._

_As soon as he stood still, the older man released his grip on the child's arm, leaving a dark mark, a bruise already forming. Nico looked at the new injury; the skin was blackened and charred. Just looking at it made Nico whimper. _

"_Go to bed," his father said, his breath reeking. "Now. Before I have to do it again." The older man grabbed the injured area on his arm one more time. Nico felt tears running down his cheeks. His father roughly pulled Nico near his mouth and whispered, "Remember this is our little secret," before shoving him in the direction of his room._

_Once he reached his room, he fell onto his mattress, and gently laid his arm off the side. As the night went on, his muffled cries were only heard by his pillow._

* * *

"_Why did you run away?" His mother screeched._

"_I'm not going to sit around and let __**my father**_ _use me as a cigarette tray."_

"_So him leaving again is your fault," the older woman accused._

"_How in the hell is it my fault?" _

"_You made him leave. You wouldn't let him love you."_

"_Love me?" The boy scoffed, "if that's his way of love, then he is seriously fucked up."_

"_Don't you dare talk about your father like that!"_

"_What are you gonna do about it?"_

_An eery silence filled the kitchen. "You're right….I can do so much worse," his mother said deathly calm, with distant eyes. Nico looked at his mother before scrambling towards the door knowing, that whatever was coming, he didn't want to be here to see it. _

_His mother yelled. "Get your ass back here and take what you asked for." _

_His mistake was pausing to look back. He saw his mother's arm pulled back with a bottle grasped in her fingers. He tried to turn around and run back as a bottle crashed into the back of his head, and he crumbled to the floor. He could see shards of glass surrounded him on the floor, and he felt the steady trickle of blood going down his neck._

"_You ungrateful piece of shit. We gave you everything, why are you so fucking UNGRATEFUL, " his mother screeched, while walking to the limp body on the floor. "This is what you get for wanting to leave. You are a worthless piece of shit who shouldn't have been born in the first place. You are dirt. You will never __**be anything.**_"

_There was the sound of crunching glass behind him, but he his efforts to turn around were futile. Each movement of his head brought on a new wave of pain and nausea. He felt a foot grind into his back making it impossible to get up._

"_You'll regret ever trying to leave this house in the first place, you bastard." The first blow made him cry out, pain exploding across his back causing him to see stars. Each hit ripped his shirt and tore into his skin. Nico's vision went black and after a while his entire body was numb. The one thing that kept him tied to reality was the noise of the clock on the kitchen wall. _

_tick. tock. tick. tock._

_Only when the sound of something being dropped beside him and the door closing did he open his eyes. The image of a bloody belt buckle sitting on the floor burned into brain. _

_He grit his teeth as he tried to move, but each time he did a fresh wave of pain hit him like a truck. He laid on the kitchen floor and tears soaked his face from the overwhelming amount of despair that settled on him. He knew he couldn't stay there, lest his mother come back._

_Because he didn't have the strength to walk, he slowly crawled his way to the bathroom and cleaned himself up the best that he could. He ran his fingers down his back wincing at his own touch. The skin was torn up leaving a bumpy pattern from his shoulders to waist. Not having enough bandages, he wrapped a towel around him in hopes that it would stop the bleeding. _

_As he went downstairs to get ice, he realized that the blood on the floor was cleaned up and the kitchen was spotless. _

_Just like dad, he thought. Temporary. It never happened. It was just a nightmare. _

_But the throbbing pain from his back told him otherwise._

* * *

"C'mon, we're in,"

Nico heard Castor's voice, and was shaken from his memories. He was unconsciously rubbing his forearm, across the several scars that were strewn across it. He looked to see his friend-friend? acquaintance?- looking at him expectantly, gesturing for him to follow from inside the building.

"You alright, Coffee Boy?" Castor asked, concerned.

Nico was about to nod, and lie to reassure the older boy he was fine, when he lost all train of thought as he admired the incredible building he stood in.

The floor was typical concrete with footprints left in the dust, most likely from Castor's visits, Nico concluded. Chains hung from the ceiling that appeared to be from some sort of pulley system for heavy lifting. On the north side, a metal ladder had been built into the wall, leading up to a door that said in fading letters, _ROOF_. Faded graffiti littered a few of the walls, obviously painted years ago, as no one now could get inside. Rectangular windows decorated the top of the tall walls near the roof, letting in bright rays of light from the evening sun, highlighting small sections of the inside. Various crates and boxes littered the edges of the walls, while a small room rested on the east wall.

Castor noticed Nico's observations, and gestured to the room, silently encouraging him to check it out. Nico waited not a second longer, before walking over to the entrance, curiosity burning, with Castor on his heels.

Walking in, a completely different setting greeted him. The walls were lined with pictures, without a single inch to spare. Racks had been placed in the center to hold more images, and file cabinets stood next them, holding even more photographs.

Not commenting, Castor nonchalantly walked over to the corner and grabbed a coke from a small fridge, and offered one to Nico.

Nico had barely heard him, and jumped to his question, "What is this?"

"It's a coke," Castor said as if speaking to a small child, "It is a sugary drink and when you open it, bubbles-"

"No, not that. Shut up. These pictures. Did you take these?" Nico asked.

Castor stood straight, and glanced around. "Yeah, yeah it is. I like taking a picture every now and again."

Nico guffawed, "Sure, '_every now and again'_, it seems like this is what you live to do."

Castor smiled, "It's...it's alright." He looked more relaxed than Nico had ever seen him. He seemed to somehow just, fit, with this place. He was so comfortable. Screw it being his second home, this was his true home, the place where he belonged, Nico was sure.

Looking around, Nico saw a door that led somewhere else, "What's back there?"

Castor looked to where Nico had gestured, "Oh, just the dark room. It's where I develop my pictures. Then I hang them up in here, and when I run out of room on the wall, they get sorted into the file cabinets or I hang them up out there," he gestured towards the main area of the warehouse.

Nico was in awe of the entire system and... Castor. It shocked him to see how much a person could feel so comfortable and fit in so well with anything. He seemed, complete. The light had hit Castor's profile, making his figure almost angelic and his distinct features seemed to become even more pronounced with the light. His bright green eyes shimmered with a proud light, his soft pink lips were wet from the coke and his strong jaw was casting a shadow over his neck. Nico could see Castor's adam's apple bobbing as he took a sip of the coke, completely enamored. Rarely would Nico describe something as beautiful, but seeing Castor here-Nico stopped, shaking his head. _What? No. Not beautiful. He couldn't- _

_But why not? _The other voice in his head spoke up. _What's the harm? _

_It's just, he's an acquaintance, and plus even if… I mean, no, he's just someone I met out of coincidence. _

_Who you feel comfortable with and want to kiss _The persistent voice reminded him

Well there was no denying that. Nico couldn't lie to himself about something so obvious. _Yes, _he thought in defeat, _an acquaintance whom I want to kiss. But comfortable is an overstatement. I just met him._

_Don't lie, you feel relaxed, a feeling that you haven't had in years._

Nico shook his head to distract himself from the war raging between his head and...well, his head. He crouched down to the bottom drawer of one of the cabinets, and looked up to Castor again for approval to open it, attempting to not be distracted again by the man's captivating form. Receiving a nod, Nico pulled open the drawer.

Inside, he found several dusty photographs that seemed as though they hadn't been touched in a long time. Reaching in the back, he pulled out an old polaroid that seemed to be one of the first. Blowing off the dust, he could see a beautiful woman with vivid red hair, her eyes open with admiration for the skyline, sitting on the roof of what he could only assume was the very building he stood in.

Looking up to question Castor as to whom it was in the polaroid, Nico saw the older boys hovering over his shoulder, lost in the photo. Without a word, Nico placed the photo in Castor's quivering hands.

After a few minutes, Castor took a deep breath, "This...this was my very first picture. With my very first camera." The corner of his lips pulled up into a small smile. Seemingly oblivious to Nico, he was completely in his own world. "It's my mother. She...she gave me the camera, and told me that I'd better take a picture of something pretty because otherwise was she going to take the camera back and just give me a G. like all the other kids got." Castor gave a small chuckle as he remembered and unsteadily gulped, "I remember sitting down, and seeing her admiring the buildings with the sun rising behind her like it was yesterday. I took the picture and remember nothing fit the word 'pretty' better than the image that sat in front of me." Castor suddenly let out a burst of laughter, "Of course, when she heard the camera click, she looked over at me and said "Oi! I said something pretty, not your boring old mum!" I just _giggled_ as she chased me around the roof, pretending like she was going to take the camera back, and saying that I had better be ready for my G.I. Joe."

* * *

The awed look on Nico's face as he gazed at the many pictures hanging on the wall left an odd feeling in Castor's stomach. The curiosity which burned in the eyes that explored the wall seemed intent on memorizing every detail. Castor felt vulnerable, observing someone else explore his personal collection. To him, each picture was special, holding a certain purpose as to why the photo was taken. It was practically a map into his mind.

The way that the raven haired boy was standing made his figure look like a statue. The light was hitting his face making him seem mysterious while the pictures in front of him seemed to be glowing. The contrast between the two was almost comical. Without realizing it, Castor had begun to take the cap off one of his old cameras. A small smile spread across his face as he raised it to his eye and took the picture. As soon as the click was heard, a mop of black curls swiftly turned toward his direction.

"_Seriously?"_

Castor just shrugged his shoulders and gave a sheepish grin. "I couldn't help myself. You do realize that there are thousands of pictures here, right?"

Nico let out a huff of frustration and turned back to the wall he was observing. After a few minutes, Castor cleared his throat to get Nico's attention.

"You know that there is more to this place than the wall, right?" Castor said, bored now that they had been rooted in the same spot for near 15 minutes.

"What... Oh yeah, sure," Nico mumbled.

"C'mon coffee boy. I can guarantee that there is at least one other thing in this warehouse that will grab you attention, and before you ask, it isn't me."

Castor proceeded to pull Nico by the arm for what seemed like the hundredth time today over to the steep staircase that led to the roof. As they climbed the stairs, Nico felt his face heat up as he realized that Castor still held a firm grip on him. It wasn't as if the touch was unwelcome. It was just...different from what he was used to.

The last person to ever really have physical contact with him was Bianca. But even then it was limited, she knew he was sensitive about personal space.

Nico shook his head from his thoughts, and let Castor lead him up the stairs, and out the door.

* * *

Saying that the view from the roof was breathing taking would be a complete understatement. It could have been the time of day, because the sun setting behind the New York skyline left Nico in awe. Colors streaked the sky as if a painter had lazily thrown them on a canvas. They blended into each other and mixed together to make every color in the rainbow. The glowing light that surrounded each metal skyscraper like a halo made it look as though they were created by the gods.

"Wow," Nico breathed, trying to absorb every single detail that flooded his eyes.

Castor chuckled. "Yeah, it's quite the charmer isn't it?"

"I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before."

"The farther away from the city you are, the better it gets," Castor said while shrugging. "You should see the ones in the rural country areas, this doesn't even compete."

The blonde took a seat by the ledge of the building, his feet precariously hanging off the edge. He gestured for Nico to sit down next to him.

As Nico lowered himself onto the cement, Castor spoke up. "So, Coffee Boy, you've seen my place. Where do you live?"

Nico smirked, "Why, stalker, are you going to look through my window and watch me sleep at night?"

"Oh yes, but I plan on being in the bed when that moment comes," the blonde not-so-subtly flirted, bumping his shoulder into Nico's.

Nico, at a temporary loss for what to say, pointed towards a spot in the horizon, "I'm over there, a few blocks from The Daily Grind."

"Ah yes, The Daily Grind. The shittiest coffee shop in all of New York City. How does it feel to work in such a fantastic establishment."

Nico morphed his face into one of insult, "I'll have you know that T.D.G. is a place of class, sophistication, a-," he words were cut off as Castor snorted and before long they both broke into uncontrollable laughter, unable to continue the mockery of the coffee shop.

As Nico slowly calmed his sniggering, he spoke, "It may not be great, but you have to admit, it definitely has charm."

"Yes, _charm_. You know what else has charm? The landfill, but we don't serve coffee there."

"It's not that bad! Honestly! The band's that come in are sometimes pretty good, and we do make one hell of an espresso."

Castor glanced over at Nico's face, and smiled, "Well, I suppose I'll have to come in more often to get the true feel of things."

Nico thought for a moment before saying, "Yes, I suppose you will."

* * *

By the time the moon had reached it's peak in the night sky, the two boys were still talking. The echo of their voices could be heard in the alleyway below.

"You know, Grapes, you're not half bad," Nico said while trying to stifle a yawn.

"I do try my hardest," Castor replied, winking at the tired boy. Stretching his arms above his head he faked a yawn, and then proceeded to wrap his arm around Nico.

The raven haired boy tensed up, unsure of what to do. "Wow. I didn't think you could be any dorkier, but I stand corrected," Nico smirked, trying to ignore the blush that had creeped onto his cheeks.

"Hey, at least I didn't spend my middle school years collecting mythomagic cards," Castor teased.

"It was a hobby okay. You have a warehouse and I have a card game, same difference."

"Whatever you say Coffee Boy, whatever you say."

The blonde smirked when Nico leaned into his chest. Castor was about to make a comment when Nico cut him off, "Don't you fucking dare."

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"_Sure_."

"You know, everyone has an artistic talent. It's genetically impossible not to. You _have _to have one. So, what's your's?" Castor said, trying to make conversation.

"Way to change the subject there, Grapes. But nope, I have no talent at all."

"I bet you draw or paint."

Nico let out a chuckle. "You are really stuck on me having some creative outlet, aren't you?"

"I got it! Music. It has to be related to music," Castor said grinning, as if he had just won the world's greatest prize.

"Now what makes you think that?" Nico challenged.

"You always have headphones jammed in your ears."

"Maybe I just like to listen. That doesn't make it a talent."

"You had to have at least played an instrument when you were younger." Judging by the silence, Castor had finally guessed correct. "Trumpet?"

"Nope."

"Tuba?"

"Please, it would crush me."

"Flute?"

"Not in a million years."

"God dammit I'm running out of ideas here. Help a guy out," Castor pleaded.

"You're missing the most basic, yet classic one."

_"_Oboe?"

"For gods sake. It's fucking piano. How the hell did you not guess that?"

"I'm a bad guesser?" Castor responded sheepishly.

"Like hell you are."

"So how long did you play?" The blonde boy asked.

"I started really young, so I don't really know. Maybe 15 years? I'm not anything special."

"Not that special? Anyone who plays an instrument for that long can't be just mediocre. Why did you stop?"

Nico sat up, brushing Castor's arm off his shoulders and hiding his face, " I had to sell it..."

"Oh." Castor could hear the regret in the boys voice. Trying to get rid of the depressing air that surrounded them, he turned to his natural instinct. "You should teach me sometime, so that way I have firm proof you are artistic," he said, replacing his arm back on Nico's shoulders.

"I guess. But you would have to find a piano first," Nico said.

"You promise?"

"Yeah."

"I'm holding you to that coffee boy."

* * *

It had been about 30 minutes since Nico had drifted off. In order to accommodate him, Castor had moved back from the ledge so they could stretch out on the roof. The younger boy held a death grip on Castors side, and had some how entwined their legs.

He put on a tough act, but in his sleep the kid was the biggest cuddler Castor had ever met. The dark circles under his eyes were smaller, and he seemed almost at peace. He brushed the curly black hair out of the boys face and realized that this whole situation seemed oddly natural to him.

Cuddling with people was fine for a bit, but it would get uncomfortable after more than 20 minutes. It was completely different with Nico though. It was almost as if he craved the touch of raven haired boy. A slight blush graced Castor's face as he heard his name mumbled from the body laying on his chest.

He felt a vibration from his pocket and sighed, of course someone would interrupt his moment.

_"Where are you?! Your curfew was hours ago, when you get home we are having a talk about this unacceptable behavior."_

_-Paul _

He let out a deep breath, trying to ignore the sinking feeling of dread at the thought of having to go home and how he would much rather spend all his time in the warehouse with a certain person. The blonde slid his phone back into his pocket, feeling his fingers brush against something else as he pulled his hand out.

He took the object in question and examined it. A silver band. Oh shit. He had completely forgotten that he had this. What Nico didn't know wouldn't kill him, right? He examined the ring in the bright light of the moon, noticing all of the nicks that came from years of wear. He rolled it in his fingers before putting the ring back in his pocket. He would have to figure out a way to give that back to him.

Castor yawned, feeling his eyes heavy with sleep. He wrapped his other arm around Nico and rested his chin on the top of the younger boy's head. Who knew, maybe this was the start of something new. He closed his eyes and fell into a content, yet dreamless sleep.

* * *

This had been the first full night of sleep Nico had gotten in a long time. For once his insomnia let him sleep with dreams that weren't nightmares. If only he could feel this well rested everyday, more things could be accomplished at home and work.

_What day was it? Is it Wednesday or Thursday? Eh, I don't even care._

Nico snuggled closer to the warmth that was coming to his right. He was done with school and work- Nico's eyes flew open.

_Shit! My shift, I start at 7. Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm gonna be late._

Nico checked his phone to see that it was 6:50. He struggled to free himself from whatever was holding him. As he broke free from the death like grip, memories of the night before flooded his mind.

The warehouse, the skyline,the conversations, the cuddling, _Castor_.

As he rushed to gather his jacket and shoes that had been laying beside him, he couldn't help but smile as he relived the night before.

Nico had just gone down the steps and was running through the warehouse when he heard a shout from the top of the stairs. Not having time to turn back, he raised his arm in salute and was out the door.

* * *

Castor woke to a sudden coldness at his side. Reaching his arm over to find his companion to resume their earlier position, he felt nothing but the crisp morning air. Opening his eyes, the blonde squinted in the harsh sunlight, looking to see where Nico had gone.

He heard a loud bang, and snapped his head around to face the door leading down stairs that had just been slammed shut.

_What the hell?_

He got up to follow the younger boy and as he walked briskly towards the door, he noticed that Nico had taken all of stuff, a clear sign he wasn't coming back. Shaking his head of these thoughts, he opened the door to see Nico running towards the exit, shrugging his leather jacket on over his t-shirt.

"HEY! NICO! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!" Castor called, yelling to get the boy's attention.

But instead of a response, he got a simple hand gesture.

Insecurities surged through Castors mind. He knew it had been too soon. Why did he think showing the warehouse to him would be a good idea? What went wrong? Did he say something to offend the boy?

Thoughts swirled through his head like a rapid hurricane, making him angry and disappointed. Seeing Nico's retreating figure felt like a knife through the chest. He thought that maybe, just maybe, this would be different. Well, once again, he was wrong.

He slammed his fist against the wall out of frustration. Screw him. It's not like he was that important anyways. He was just a bet.

Shaking his head, he knew that was the most obvious lie he had ever told himself.

* * *

Nico was half way to work when his phone rang.

"Yeah?" He answered, fighting the rush of people, all of whom seemed intent on making him later than he already was.

"You'll never guess what happened!" Bianca squealed into the phone, ignoring the annoyed glances of the people around her.

"You got a nose job?"

"Dick. I got the internship!"

"The star one?" Nico asked.

"THE STAR ONE!" Bianca confirmed, rejoicing into the phone.

"YES! I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you, B!

"Just think, if this goes well, my name will be forever engraved in the sky."

"It's been your goal for the last, like, 5,000 years! I can't believe you actually did it."

"Neither can I! I start on Monday." She could barely contain her excitement.

"Does this mean you'll shut up about it now?" Nico teased.

"Oh no! It'll only get worse from here! I don't think I ever want to stop talking about it. In fact, did you know that- "

Suddenly, the squeal of tires on asphalt could be heard, as a high-pitched scream echoed through the cell phone.

"B?!"

The line was dead.

* * *

**It's been a while since we published *coughs awkwardly  
BUT we are here now and back with a cliff hanger! Muahahahhaaha  
Thank you so much for reading our story, every time there is a new follow, favorite, or review we celebrate and have a giant, almost painful, smile on our face for the rest of the day so (I think you know what is coming)  
FOLLOW, FAVORITE, REVIEW!  
Because honestly, why wouldn't you?  
We love you all and thanks again!  
MGMalfoy0268 and Celadongirl123**


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